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The Art of Pretentious Beer Talk: Who Else Has Been There?

Last weekend, I attended a bottle share event that quickly turned into my own personal test of beer knowledge. When someone opened a barrel-aged sour, I felt compelled to impress those around me. In an effort to sound sophisticated, I proclaimed my appreciation for how “the brett interacts with the oak tannins to produce exquisite phenolic compounds.”

Let’s be honest—I’m not entirely sure what phenolic compounds are. I suspect I cobbled together some wine jargon with bits of podcast wisdom that were only half-remembered. To my surprise, everyone nodded in agreement, as if I had just shared a profound insight.

Caught in the highbrow moment, I felt the pressure to continue. I confidently added that the beer “expresses local terroir through indigenous microflora,” as if I had just graduated with a degree in fermentation science.

Reflecting on it later, I couldn’t help but laugh at my own pretentiousness. Not long ago, I found myself enthusiastically discussing a beer’s “mouthfeel complexity,” when all I really meant was that it had a thick texture. It struck me then: I was essentially engaging in a sort of craft beer mad libs—stringing together phrases I’d heard elsewhere in hopes that no one would ever call me out on it.

Have you ever experienced something similar? It seems like we often resort to empty phrases, trying to impress others in the craft beer community while secretly questioning our understanding. In our quest to appear knowledgeable, we might just be echoing the words of others, all while laughing at ourselves on the inside. Let’s be honest—the craft beer world can be just as much about the experience as it is about the expertise. What are some of your most memorable—or perhaps embarrassing—moments in beer banter?